Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to an operating device for operating functions of a vehicle and a method for operating functions of a vehicle.
An operating device and such a method for operating functions of a vehicle, in particular of a motor vehicle, such as a passenger motor vehicle for example, are already known from German patent document DE 10 2012 000 263 A1. The operating device thus comprises a gesture detection device allowing gestures carried out by a person in an interior of the vehicle to operate the functions to be detected. In the scope of the method, gestures carried out in the three-dimensional space are thus used to operate the functions.
A first step of the method determines whether or not a first gesture carried out in the three-dimensional space is detected by means of an image-based detection procedure. If the first gesture has been detected, a second step determines whether or not the first gesture is a gesture allocated to the activation of a controlling of a function. If it is determined that the detected first gesture is the gesture allocated to the activation of the controlling of a function, activation of the control of the function is performed in a third step. A fourth step determines whether or not a second gesture carried out in the three-dimensional space is detected by means of the image-based detection procedure. If the second gesture is detected, a fifth step determines whether or not the detected second gesture is a gesture allocated to controlling the function. Finally, in a sixth step, the function is controlled if it has been determined that the detected first gesture is the gesture allocated to activating the controlling of the function, and if it is determined that the detected second gesture is the gesture allocated to controlling the function.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to an operating device and a method of the type cited above, by means of which a particularly ergonomic and comfortable operation of the functions can be achieved.
According to an exemplary embodiment an operating device providing a particularly ergonomic and comfortable operation of the functions includes a gesture detection device having a multitude of operation zones in the vehicle interior, which are respectively allocated to the functions and are able to be selected to operate the respective function by means of a gesture allocated to the respective operation zone. Thus, it is possible to achieve a universal gesture operation by which different functions can be controlled from any location and thus also from the same location in the interior. For this purpose, to operate one of the functions, the operation zone allocated to this one function is selected by a person in the interior carrying out the gesture allocated to this operation zone. After selecting the operation zone, the function allocated to the selected operation zone can subsequently be operated.
Thus, it is possible to select the respective operation zone out of the different locations of the interior such that the person can operate the respective function in a particularly simple and comfortable manner. The operating device according to the invention thus enables a universal gesture operation concept for numerous vehicle functions and is able to be extended at will, such that a particularly high number of functions can also be operated in a simple manner without a corresponding multitude of operating elements such as buttons and/or switches for example having to be provided in the interior for this purpose.
To detect the respective gesture and thus to detect which of the operation zones is selected, the gesture detection device comprises at least one or several cameras for example, which are formed as 3D cameras, for example. Such a camera can be a stereo camera or a time-of-flight camera. This respective 3D camera is formed to detect at least one part of the interior and thus at least one part of the person in the interior in three dimensions. Head, arm, hand, and/or finger movements and positions, for example, of the people can then be detected by a corresponding image processing and, for example, intersections of pointing directions with operating zones can be calculated, so that the respective gesture can subsequently be detected.
It has proved to be advantageous when the person, during the respective gesture for selecting the respective operation zone, points to the respective operation zone with one finger, in particular the index finger, of one hand of the person. In other words, it is preferably provided that the respective operation zone can be selected in such a way that the person points to the respective operation zone that the person wishes to select with one of their fingers, in particular their index finger. Thus, the respective operation zone can be selected by a particularly simple and natural gesture.
Activating the respective operation zone is to be understood to be selecting the respective operation zone. Because of selecting, i.e., activating, the respective operation zone, the function allocated to the selected or activated operation zone can subsequently be operated.
It has thus proved to be particularly advantageous if the respectively selected operation zone remains selected as long as the wrist of the hand stays in a region after carrying out the gesture, the region being able to be predetermined. Thus, the person can operate the selected function as long as the operation zone is selected.
A further embodiment involves deactivating the selected operation zone by moving the wrist out of the region. By doing so, the initially selected, i.e., activated operation zone can be deactivated such that the corresponding function can no longer be operated. Subsequently, a different operation zone can be activated or selected in order to subsequently operate the function allocated to the other operation zone.
To achieve a particularly simple operation, the function allocated to the selected operation zone can be operated by moving the hand and/or at least one finger of the hand of the wrist that is still in the predetermined region. Micro-gestures for operating the function emerge automatically because the wrist must remain in the predetermined region during the actual operation of the function, i.e., during the actual functional controlling, wherein these micro-gestures are ergonomically efficient and thus particularly comfortable.
The invention is based on the knowledge that the operation of functions by a person, in particular the driver of the vehicle, during autonomous driving presents a new challenge since, during autonomous driving, the driver can sit relaxed in his seat and does not have to touch or hold a steering handle such as a steering wheel of the vehicle, for example, with his hands. The steering wheel thus moves either autonomously and/or is moved away, i.e., removed from the driver such that the driver can no longer hold the steering wheel. Thus, operation elements provided on the steering wheel are no longer available or accessible to the driver such that the driver can no longer operate the functions of the vehicle via the operation elements provided on the steering wheel.
Thus, it is desirable to provide an opportunity for the driver to operate the functions of the vehicle in a simple and comfortable manner and thus to be able to comfortably operate menu systems, for example on an instrument cluster, a head-up display, and/or a central display. The same desire of course also exists with regards to operating further vehicle functions. This desire can be fulfilled by means of the operation device according to the invention because the driver does not need the operation elements provided on the steering wheel in order to operate the functions. Thus, in the described manner, the driver can ergonomically and comfortably operate the respective functions by carrying out the gestures, in particular three-dimensional gestures. In doing so, the gestures are preferably formed as body gestures that the driver can carry out with his body.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention also involve a method for implementing a particularly ergonomic and comfortable operation of the functions. The gesture detection device has a multitude of operation zones in the interior, which are respectively allocated to one of the functions and are selected, i.e., activated, for operating the respective function by means of a gesture allocated to the respective operation zone. Advantageous embodiments of the operation device according to the invention are to be considered as advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention and vice versa.
Further advantages, features and details of the invention arise from the description of a preferred exemplary embodiment below, as well as with the aid of the FIGURE. The features and feature combinations cited in the description above and below in the description of the figures and/or shown in the FIGURE alone can be used not only in each specified combination, but rather also in other combinations or individually, without exceeding the scope of the invention.